It's Now or Never, Deku!
by SilentJo
Summary: He's made up his mind to confess to his long-time crush, Kacchan, for Valentine's Day. Even scraped together enough money to buy a decent bouquet of roses. Feeling confident, he walks into the class ready to win Kacchan over. But seeing Kacchan holding flowers given by another person break Deku down just as fast as he'd built himself up. Day 7 of BNHA Angst Week 2019- Roses/Time


Deku had finally made up his mind. Who knew where they would end up once they graduated from UA. He'd let so many chances to let Kacchan know how he felt go by. So many times when he'd almost managed to get the words out but fell short of doing so. No more chickening out, no more excuses. It was now or never.

He gathered the money he had saved from his part-time job and picked out a small bouquet of roses in the local florist's shop. They weren't from the premium selection. Most of them weren't at their peak appearance and some had even started to wilt along the edges. But this was all he could afford on his own. All his hopes were gathered into this display of red and white, with little wisps of baby's breath scattered between the blooms. The florist even included a bow with a nearly perfect match to the orange of Kacchan's hero outfit.

With his present for Kacchan in hand, he made his way to school on this last Valentine's Day that they'd spend as classmates, mumbling and rehearsing what he wanted to say once he took Kacchan aside. He mentally worked himself up; an image of Kacchan throwing his arms around his neck after seeing the flowers boosted his confidence even higher. He didn't care what would happen as a result of his confession, he just knew it had to happen.

Forcing a smile, he slid the class door open and walked in. His fellow classmates were scattered around the room, conversing before Aizawa would show up to call them all to attention. As he looked to the edge of the room where his seat was, his smile quickly fell.

Kacchan was holding one of the largest, most exotic arrangement of flowers he'd ever seen. So many colors were gathered in the huge bouquet, from deep purples to the most amazing sky blue, mesmerizing even at a distance. And Todoroki was standing before Kacchan, holding his hand as though it were made of glass.

Looking down at the roses he'd brought, he couldn't feel anything but shame after being outdone by the boy that could afford anything he desired with his father as the number one hero. He'd suspected Todoroki of having a crush on Kacchan, but never thought he'd act on it. But Deku knew he'd been outclassed. Kacchan deserved the best of everything, and Deku knew he couldn't compare to Todoroki. Deku slipped his bouquet behind his back and slowly backed up to the door. Just as he crossed the threshold, Kacchan looked in his direction, catching Deku's eye just before he dashed out of the room.

Running down the hallway, tears streaming across his cheeks and taking flight as the wind caught them, he turned at the first corner and leaned against the wall, catching his breath while trying to keep himself from sobbing. He looked at the flowers he'd held, now even more battered due to his careless running. It was hopeless from the start. Better to realize it now than make a fool of himself in front of his peers.

"Where the hell d'ya think you're going, nerd? Class is gonna start."

Deku looked up to find Kacchan there, one arm leaning against the wall watching him. He quickly hid the bouquet behind his back, "N-Nothing Kacchan, I-I just forgot something, that's all. You can head back, don't worry about me."

"Nah, you're hiding something and I wanna know what it is. No one takes off like you did without having something to hide. So what's in your hand, or do I have to blast it out into the open?" Kacchan asked, little sparks erupting from his hand as if to prove he'd follow through with his threat.

Reluctantly, Deku revealed the roses that had been through so much abuse that day. Kacchan stared at them, waiting to hear an explanation from the boy holding them.

"I-I thought that you'd like these. But when I saw Todoroki giving you that beautiful arrangement, I figured you wouldn't care about them. I'll just throw them away on the way back to clas—"

Without warning, Kacchan swiped the flowers out of Deku's hand, turning the bouquet in his hand and inspecting each blossom. Suddenly, Kacchan raised it to his face and deeply inhaled the softly scented flowers.

"Not that you would know this, you damn nerd, but if I had a favorite flower, it would be roses. That Icy-Hot bastard didn't put a single one in that monstrosity of a bouquet he offered to me. Said they were 'too cliché.' Tch, shows how much that idiot knows. So if you throw these away, I'll seriously kick your ass. But if you were planning to give them to me, I'll take them off your hands."

Deku didn't know what to say after hearing Kacchan admit to favoring his roses over Todoroki's far more expensive gift. "Y-Yes, I want you to have them if th-they'll make you happy, Kacchan!"

"Tell me the truth, Deku. How long have you been wanting to give me something like this?"

"I… couldn't give you an exact date, Kacchan. I-I I've l-liked you for a good while now," Deku stuttered as he twisted the hem of his uniform jacket between his fingers his eyes bouncing everywhere but toward Kacchan. "I didn't want us to go our separate ways once we graduate without letting you know how I feel. If you don't accept it, I totally understand! I know it's a lot to process, and I've spent a lot of time working through just exactly how to say it to you, but even then, it was difficult to put it into words that would be—" Kacchan's hand pushed against Deku's lips, halting his train of thought.

"Just quit your mumbling and kiss me, Deku. You think I couldn't tell you've had a crush on me all this time? I'd have to be blind to not see it after all these years." Kacchan looked at the bouquet again and a rare smile emerged on his face. "Thanks for these, it's nice to get something I actually wanted on this stupid day." And with that, he leaned over Deku and lightly pressed his lips against the freckles on his cheek.

And then, the waterworks began as Deku's eyes flooded with tears. "I-I'm sorry Kacchan, I just… I didn't expect this reaction from you."

"Damn, you're such a crybaby. Dry it up and let's get back to class. If Aizawa makes us stay after school, I'm gonna kick your ass." Kacchan looked the other way as he offered his free hand for Deku to take.

Blinking away the last of his tears, he grinned from ear to ear and took Kacchan's hand, lacing his fingers around Kacchan's. "Y-Yeah, let's go!"


End file.
